Thirty Days
by Knifez
Summary: The day after Shawn gets back from TDPI, he gets ill, only to wake up and be told he has a rare form of brain cancer. Given thirty days until the operation that has a 5% success rate, Shawn, an orphan, decides to spend his likely very last thirty days with Jasmine by traveling to Australia to visit her. Join them on the adventures they have before the dreaded day comes. Not sappy.
1. Prologue: Part One

**So, this is my first attempt at writing a fluffy and angsty romance story. Bear with me, guys! I'm new to this, so your tips and suggestions would be much appreciated. Yes, this chapter will be short, it's part one of a prologue, what do you expect?**

**Now, the limitations of the summary don't explain enough about the whole point of this story, so I'll take some time to explain it here.**

**Basically, Shawn has the early stages of a rare brain cancer, unawares to him until the next chapter. Given thirty days before a new operation with a mere 8% of survival rate, he decides to spend that last month, because he is an orphan, with Jasmine, who, as you'll find out, has moved back to Australia with her parents.**

**This story will most likely be thirty three chapters. Part I and II of the prologue, Thirty Days (One chapter will be one day, obviously), and an epilogue/aftermath of Shawn's surgery.**

**This is set immediately after Shawn gets home from winning TDPI, to all who are curious. And yes, it is in his POV.**

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><p>I breathe deeply as I exit the plane. I did it. I won…a million. Freaking. Dollars. And to add icing to the cake: no more insane zombie nut facade. Sure, I'm a <em>little <em>paranoid, but Chris, being the asshole that he is, saw that on my application and made me into a stereotype. I heard he did the same to Ella, Rodney, Leonard and Beardo. I was kind of worried when I found out he did no such thing to Max. People think _I'm _weird in the head. At least Jasmine knows that the Island Me is not the Real Me…or at least that I'm not as obsessed as I seemed to be on the island. It's probably why she put up with me and liked me. I can't imagine she would if I was actually like that. I mean, yeah, I might have that backyard laser system, and sure I do zombie training exercises to sharpen my body and mind, but it's not like my current focus day in and day out is zombie this and zombie that…for the most part.

I'm still giddy as I exit the terminal, back in my hometown of Alberta, Canada. Wait, would that be home_city_? I'm too excited to mince words with myself. The heavy silver briefcase is still crammed in-between my arms as I whistle happily, walking to the exit of the airport. Once outside, I hail a taxi.

"43rd street." I tell the cab driver, a grubby, short man somewhere in his fifties.

"43rd, eh?" He peers at me through his rearview mirror. "You got enough cash for that? It's seventy bucks." I see him eyeing me up and down. I can't say I blame him, I don't exactly dress like someone who has money. And I don't…er, didn't. It'll be nice not to have to worry about stuff like that for a long while.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I grin.

"Whatever you say." The man grumbles, shifting into gear and starting the machine that tracks how much money it costs. "If you're bullshitting me…" He mutters under his breath, and I don't respond.

A few minutes go by, and I see the driver eye me in the rearview mirror again. "What's in the case?" He asks, trying to be friendly. I can sense the suspicious undertone though.

"You know Total Drama?" I ask, drumming my fingers on the case.

He nods. "Who doesn't, at this point?" He yawns. "Can't say I'm a big fan, but I'll tune in now and again if I got nothing better to do. I heard the new season is airing in a couple weeks."

I chuckle. "Well…" I read his taxi license. "Maurice. I just got off that show. You know what they give to the winner of each season?"

Maurice's eyes widen and he actually smirks. "No shit." He mutters. "Well, I might find my self placing a couple bets this season. Thanks, er…what's your name?"

"It's Shawn." For the first time in my life I say it proudly. I've always been that loner orphan boy, or the creepy zombie guy. Now I can say I survived the awful challenges of Pahkitew Island and outlasted thirteen other people, some strong competitors and the others not so strong, to win one million dollars.

"Well, Shawn. I'd like to thank you in advance for all the money I get when I bet my friends on the winner of this season." A dry chuckle.

"No worries." I laugh, and I suddenly realize how tired I am. I've got a bit of a headache as well. "I'm going to grab a few Z's…and not zombies." I mutter the last part as I close my eyes, hopping the dull throb in my head subsides.

"Will do, I'll wake you up when we get there." Maurice nods.

I close my eyes and fall asleep, dreaming about what happened moments before I got on my flight.

* * *

><p><em>"Well, goodbye contestants." Chris smirked. He, Chef, and the four participants in the finale were sitting at the airplane terminal. "Usually we'd have you stay at the Playa, but we're going off to do a spin-off: Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race."<em>

_"I thought you weren't hosting that." Dave jeered, bruised and bloody. While they had gone back for the germaphobe, they had not been quick enough to save him from a mild beating from Scuba Bear. Clearly in a bad mood, he continued. "Guess they wanted a less stupid host with a less dumb face! Hah, take that!"_

_"Yeah...right." Chris said, looking weirded out. "Anyways, I bid you all au revoir." _

_"That means goodbye!" Chef shouted at the foursome. To Chris: "Told you those eight days of French I would come in handy."_

_Chris just rolled his eyes as the duo walked away._

_Bye, you...meany...meany faces!" Dave cried, sobbing and running to his gate._

_Sky shot a rather guilty look Dave's way and gave Jasmine a hug and Shawn a fist bump. "Well...it's been fun, guys. Still mad you beat me though." She joked to Shawn, who was gripping the suitcase tightly. She too walked off to her terminal._

_"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Jasmine tapped her fingers nervously. "Crikey, it's been fun, eh Shawn? Too bad it was just a fling." She said the last part sadly._

_"I thought you lived in Muskoka?" Shawn asked, confused. "I don't have parents, I can come and see you all the time! I take classes on line and-"_

_"I'm moving back to Australia, Shawn." Jasmine said quietly. She expected Shawn to be crestfallen, sad, bummed out, even angry or relieved. What he was the last thing she was expecting._

_"Awesome!" He cheered. "I can totally come and visit you!"_

_Jasmine was stunned. "R-really?" She stammered. She hadn't thought he cared enough to make that much of an effort. Her face lit up and she grabbed him in a massive bear hug. "You really are the best." She put him down. "You can stay we me and my parents, sure, but what about getting there? Tickets are expensive, mate."_

_Shawn waggled the briefcase. "No problem! Just got a million bucks, I don't think it'll be that big of a deal."_

_"You're serious about this?" Jasmine said hopefully. "You can meet some of my friends and ,wow! We would just have the most wonderful time."_

_"Dead serious." Shawn smiled, giving her a thumbs up. I'll keep in contact but I plan on getting there in at least two weeks from now."_

_"That's perfect." Jasmine nodded. "We move in three days so two weeks from now we should be settled in for the most part."_

_**"Flight 391 to Alberta, Canada."** A voice called._

_"That's my flight, gotta go!" Shawn smiled._

_Jasmine bent down and gave him a kiss. He stared into her eyes._

_"Shawn...c'mon dude get the hell up." She said, her voice changing drastically._

_"Huh?" Shawn was startled._

* * *

><p>"Shawn…hey, Shawn, wake up." Having my shoulder nudged jolts me back to the present. I sit up groggily and the briefcase nearly falls to the floor, but my quick reflexes allow me to grab it before it hits the ground. I don't want it spilling all over the floor of this cab of questionable hygiene. Dave would've probably gone nuts. I'm glad Jasmine remembered to grab him before we took off. I was hoping the whole 'Sky must die' thing was a facade as well, but that didn't seem to be the case. Poor bastard was really smitten with her. Speaking of the other contestants, I'm surprised that dream was as vivid and accurate as it was...besides Jasmine having a man's voice and all.<p>

"That'll be eighty-two seventy five." Maurice informs me, breaking me out of my train of thought. I reach for my wallet, but remember that there is nothing in there, per usual. Instead I unclip the briefcase, and grab one of the ten-thousand crisp one-hundred dollar bills and hand it to him. "Keep the change." I tell him, closing the briefcase back up.

"Cheers." He nods to me, and eyes me up and down again. "You were gone all that time and you don't have any luggage?"

"Nah." I shrug. "I don't have much."

He nods to the briefcase. "Now you can change that."

"You betcha."

"Catch you around, Shawn."

"Bye."

I head to my apartment building. I was lucky enough to score the ground floor, which has the luxury of a small backyard. The landlady thinks I'm adorable, so she lets me off easy with the rent, me being an orphan and all.

Oh yeah, you're probably wondering about that. I knew my parents, sorta...they were the partying type. Well, they were all at this party one night, and it turned out the designated driver wasn't really doing his job, and then the car veered off the road into a pond. Everyone but the driver was killed, all six other people, my parents included passed. I was only two years old, so I only have the faintest memories of them. After that it was to the orphanage. The orphanage was in the middle of nowhere, hence all my survival skills. I left that hellhole a year ago, and now I take high school classes online and work part time so I can pay the rent.

I enter the building, but instead of heading for my door I head up the stairs, to my neighbor and friend, who has the key to my apartment.

I knock on the door, and within moments it's flung open and there she stands, her usual cheerful but rather faraway smile on her face.

"Shawn!" She greets, giving me a warm hug.

"Hey Laney!" I greet, returning the hug.

Laney was my fathers best friends younger sister, if that makes sense. She's almost ten years older than I am, clocking in around twenty-six.

"I'd invite you to come in, but I'm just leaving." Laney tells me anxiously.

"Oh?" That's not unusual for Laney. Being a make-up artist, she's always going places. "Where is it this time?"

"Los Angeles." She grins. "Going there for work."

I nod, and her face lights up. "Oh, when I get back you'll have to tell me all about Total Drama!"

"For sure." I nod. "You have my key?"

She checks her pockets but to no avail. She scratches her head, ruffling her long black hair. "Umm, I have it somewhere. Hold on." She opens her purse and digs around for a couple seconds. "Ah! Here it is!" She hands it to me.

"How's Zombie?" I ask. "You remember to feed him?"

"Twice a day." She nods. "He really lives up to his name."

I laugh. "That he does. Is Rob staying to take care of your pets?" Rob is Laney's fiancé.

Laney nods. "Yeah." She checks her phone. "Oh shit! I'm going to miss my flight!" She gives me another hug and then grabs her suitcase. "Bye Shawn! See you when I get back!"

"Bye!" I call. I close her apartment door for her, as she forgot to do so. I'm surprised she didn't notice the briefcase I was holding. That's Laney for you. I hum the Walking Dead theme song as I walk back down to my apartment. Turning the key in the lock, I open up and step into my home.

"Zombie! I'm home!" I call. I hear a meow from somewhere in the distance. Typical Zombie. He didn't get his name by coincidence. He's about as mobile as one.

I walk through my kitchen, grabbing the cat treats on the way. I swear, Zombie eats better than I do…or used to.

He's on my bed, relaxing. Surprise surprise. He's big and fat and very fluffy. People have mistaken him for a weird blanket or a small rug before. I got him two days after I moved to the city.

"Hey Zombie!" I coo as I lie down on my bed, nuzzling my face in his fluffy flabby belly. "I missed you." I told him. He purrs and bats my face playfully. I give him a treat and then show him my briefcase. He sniffs it halfheartedly and then goes back to staring intensely at the bag of cat treats.

"You should pay more attention to the case." I chide. "Without that you might not be able to have any more of these!" I give him another treat.

After five more minutes of cat cuddling, I check the time. It's already seven, so I do something I want to do all the time but can rarely afford to do. Order pizza…AND a drink. I call the pizza place and put in an order for a medium cheese pizza, who know what kind of infectious diseases you can get from the meat in those places, and two liters of root beer. I give them my address and they say they'll be there in about an hour, so I decide to take a shower. My headache is back and stronger this time so I'm hoping the warm water will help. I turn the water on. I take of my beanie and my vest…

"AGH!" I scream. A horrible pain rockets through my head and I fall to my knees, gripping my head in agony. Another sharp pain and now I'm on the floor, heaving. What the hell is going on? My last through before I fade into unconsciousness is. _"Whose going to get the pizza?"_

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><p><strong>Dun dun duh! So, what do you guys think? I know there was no Jasmine this chapter but thats what you get during the prologue. What did you think? I'm rather nervous about posting this so any feedback is appreciated. Review please!<strong>


	2. Prologue: Part Two

**Glad to see some of you are liking this so far :)! This update took a little longer than it usually would. I was unable to write for two weeks because I was making a TV show.**

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><p><em>Beep.<em>

What's going on…?

_Beep._

Why does my head hurt?

_Beep._

What the hell is that infernal beeping!?

_Beep._

My eyes jolt open and I gasp, sucking in cool air for the first time in what feels like forever. I try to move but I feel so weak it hurts. I try to call out but my throat is too dry. I try not to panic. I'm able to move my head slightly and observe my surroundings. Definitely a hospital. I try to remember what happened, but every things a blur. The last thing I remember was ordering pizza back at my apartment. This is exactly like the opening scene of that zombie movie, _28 Days Later. _No. No panic.

I sit there for who knows how long, trying to move my hands. Why my hands? I've seen the movies, there's those little emergency call things that you press, assuming this place isn't abandoned or overrun by the living dead. The thought jars me, even though I know it's near impossible, but it gives me enough adrenaline that I am finally able to get a little bit of feeling into my arm and I grab the button, pressing it. That endeavor alone makes me want to fall asleep. Within twenty seconds a woman appears, obviously a nurse. She beams at me.

"You're awake! My God. Let me go get the doctor!"

I try to nod but nothing happens. What the hell is wrong with my body? As someone who is usually so limber and agile, this feelings upsets me.

"Well, well, well! Look who decided to wake up!" Comes a nasally voice from the entrance to my little room. A man, assumedly my doctor, comes into view, peering down at me. "I must tell you, Shawn, I"m surprised you woke up!"

Woke up? What does he mean by that? Was I in some sort of coma or something?

"Are you thirsty?" He asks me. HIs voice irritates me, but the words don't. I blink rapidly, and he gets the message.

"Clancy, bring some water in here for poor Shawn. And make it a big glass." He calls.

I dislike his voice less now.

The first woman, apparently named Clancy, comes back into the room with a big glass of water and a straw. She props me up using a pillow and puts the straw to my lips. I drink greedily, feeling the power of speech return as my throat and body hydrates.

"What happened?" I croak out when I'm finished drinking.

The doctors smile falters. "Well…what do you remember?"

I stare up at the ceiling. "I won Pahkitew Island…" I pause to hack violently, my throat still not fully functional, surprising myself when I feel a salty substance in my mouth.

The doctor notices my startled glance. "is everything alright?" He asks.

I stick the tip of my tongue out and show it to him. It's stained with blood.

His brow furrows. "Yes…that is a common symptom…"

"Symptom?" My mind instantly turns to zombie infection but I dismiss it quickly. Pull yourself back into reality, Shawn.

"I don't know how to say it so I'll just say it." The doctor mutters. "Shawn, you have a very rare form of brain cancer."

I gape at him. This can't be real. It's a dream. A bad joke. Something…ANYTHING other than the truth. I start to hyperventilate. The edges of my vision begin to dim. I hear the doctor call for something, probably some drug to knock me out. There's a jab in my arm and I feel a cold liquid seeping into my vein, and within ten seconds I'm out.

* * *

><p>"<em>Shawn?"<em>

_A little Shawn, still with his hat on, wakes up in bed, his own bed. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he stares blearily at two people above him._

"_Mommy? Daddy?" His voice is small._

"_Hey, sweetie." Shawn's mother smiles down at him. She kneels on the ground next to his bed, while his father takes a seat on the end._

"_I thought you were dead." Shawn's voice is still small. "Is this a dream?" _

_Shawn's mother's face breaks into one of sadness. "Ooh, sweetie." She grabs his hands. "We are dead, and this is a dream, sort of."_

"_We're more representations in your mind than anything." Shawn's father chuckles. "And why are you so short? You haven't looked like that in years!"_

_Small Shawn is suddenly Big Shawn. _

"_Why am I here?" Shawn racks his brain. "Cancer! Do I really have…cancer?" _

_Shawn's mother knocks on his head gently. "I'm afraid so, Shawn. Right there in that not-so-little noggin of yours. But you need to come to terms with it." _

_Tears form in Shawn's eyes. "But…I don't want to die. Not yet. Not like this."_

"_Who says it's incurable? We don't know yet." Shawn's mother smiled._

"_But if it's not," Shawn's father added. "You don't want to spend your remaining days a mess of self pity now, do you?"_

_Shawn thought about that. "No." He decided. "I'd want to be the happiest I could be."_

"_Good." Shawn's mother leaned down and kissed his cheek. "We love you, son." _

"_I love you too." _

* * *

><p>My eyes snap open. I'm back in the hospital., and my body feels more mobile. I edge myself up and look around blinking tears away from my dream.<p>

I notice several people in the room. One is the doctor from earlier, one is a new nurse, and the other…

"Laney?" I croak out. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in California. And…your hair." Her hair is now bright bubblegum pink, and longer than I remember.

Laney smiles at me, though she looks like she's been crying recently. "I'm back sweetie." She squeezes my hand. "Congratulations for winning your show, by the way."

I manage a grin. "Thanks." I say, squeezing back. I turn to the doctor. "Give me the scoop, doc."

"You won't freak out again?" The doctor asks. He doesn't say it with an unkind undertone, but I'm still embarrassed.

"No, I'm good." I assure.

The doctor adjusts his glasses. "Well, you have a tumor." He starts. "Now, it's not a big tumor, but it's in a tricky spot. Normally a tumor of this size would be easy to get rid of with chemotherapy, but it's almost wedged between the two halves of your brain. If tried to chemo it then it could result in permanent brain damage which would lead to death."

I nod nervously. "So ix-nay on the emotherapy-kay." I venture.

"Ix-nay." The doctor smiles. "So, as I was saying, the tumor is small, and you would normally be able to live for, oh, depending on the growth rate, anywhere between 10 years and until you die of something else. But due to it's placement, if it continues to grow, it can literally tear your brain apart from the inside."

My stomach churns as I get a mental image of that. "Not good." I say nervously.

"No indeed. Now, we've had about as many documented cases of your kind of cancer as a drunk sailor has teeth after losing a bar fight. So, we've got an experimental cancer surgery program, and you've been accepted onto it."

"Well, that's good news, right?" I say hopefully. This isn't sounding to bad.

Silence.

Not good.

"Do you want me to sugarcoat it?" He asks seriously.

I think about it. On one hand, it's always better to have a solid grip on the reality of any situation. On the other hand, being lied to can help improve moral. I make my decision.

"Give it to me straight."

"All right. The surgery has an approximate 5% success rate."

The words make me wince. "Oh…" I don't really know what to say. "When will this surgery be? Now?"

The doctor laughs. "Heavens, no. The healthiest time to get you in, while still giving you a chance to…well…" He trails off awkwardly, and I know what he was going to say.

"To live what could possibly be my final days?" I sigh, trying to keep my voice from wavering.

The doctor nods, still awkward. "Yes…well, anyways….the healthiest time would be in about a month."

Laney gives a little sob at this, and I remember she's here.

"You didn't come all the way back from California just for me, did you?" I ask her, concerned.

Laney looks at me, perplexed, and then at the doctor. "You haven't told him?" She asked, puzzled.

My mind grows uneasy. "Told me what?" I ask. Then something clicks, and my stomach drops. "Laney…how did you know I won? I don't think I had time to tell you yesterday when I got back."

She chuckles a little. "Sweetie, I saw it on TV, and that wasn't yesterday."

My sinking suspicion is confirmed. I was in a coma…for a long ass time.

"How long?" I croak weakly, my throat going dry again. "How long was I out?"

The doctor ruffles my head. "Well, Shawn, you got about eight months of beauty sleep."

EIGHT MONTHS!?

OH MY GOD.

JASMINE IS GOING TO KILL ME.

"Eight months?!" I shriek, unable to contain myself. "I was asleep for eight freaking months!?" I let out a squeak of horror. "Zombie! Is Zombie okay?"

"He's fine, he's fine." Laney assures me. "He's living with me now. He's acclimated quite well, considering all he does is sleep on my couch." She laughs.

I settle back down on my bed, still in shock. "Eight months…" I say again. "You have my briefcase too?" I ask Laney hopefully. She nods, and I sigh in relief.

Silence fills the room for a couple minutes as I mull over my new situation. The main question is, what do I do with my last thirty or so days? After only a couple minutes of thinking, the answer is clear.

"Now, I do have _some _good news." The doctor speaks up. "Do you know 'Make-A-Wish Foundation'?"

I nod. "Yeah, did I get a wish?"

The doctor nods. "You sure did. Any ideas? I heard Disneyland is popular."

I cringe at the thought. "Ew, no. They're all a bunch of mindless brainless hooligans. Just like zombies." I tell him, and he chuckles. "Though…I think I know what I want."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Oh?"

I nod. " A first class ticket to Australia, with pet."

The doctor rubs his chin. "That's definitely manageable price-wise. But…I don't know if the foundation, or myself, for that matter, would be okay with international travel in your current condition. Especailly if you're going to see Jasmine, correct?"

I nod. "Yeah, that's right…" Wait, how does he know that? "How do you know that?" I ask, voicing my thoughts.

"I, along with seemingly every other human on the planet, watched the latest Total Drama season. Congrats on winning, by the way. You were much better than Sky."

I smile. "Thanks…and yeah, I'm going to see Jasmine, but I want to take it easy. No need to rush my incoming demise, eh?"

The doctor and Laney can't help but chuckle at this, and I feel a glimmer of excitement start to flare up in my chest. I get to see Jasmine again. The flicker quickly fades.

"Oh god, I'm so dead." I moan, thumping back on the pillows.

"Now now, there is a 5%, don't give up all hope." The doctor chides.

"Not that!" I wave at him. "I told Jasmine eight months ago that I'd come visit her in a couple weeks. She's going to be so mad."

The doctor lets out a low whistle. "I apologize if this is too soon." He remarks. "But you might have another possible cause of death before the cancer. Play your cards wisely my friend."

I can't help but chuckle. "Thanks doc. I will…try."

He offers his hand to me. "I"ll see you in a month. I'll be the one operating on you."

I shake it. "Sounds good." I yawn suddenly. "Oh man I'm tired."

"Get some sleep, Shawn." Laney says. She gives me a kiss on the forehead. "They said you're free to go tomorrow, so I'll swing by and come get you then, okay?"

"Okay." I say sleepily, drifting off into unconsciousness.

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><p>Two days, one clearance from Make-A-Wish foundation, and one very emotional goodbye with Laney later, I find myself on a plane, in first class, all expenses paid, Zombie's crate under my seat, and a milkshake in my hand. I take a sip, and feel the butterflies scurry around in my stomach. I'm getting more and more nervous. I so hope Jasmine isn't totally pissed at me, though I'm not stupid enough to deny that it is a definite possibility.<p>

Zombie meows pitifully from under my crate. I glance around. There's two other people taking a first class flight from Alberta to Australia on a Wednesday morning, and neither are near me. I reach under and open Zombie's crate. He darts out, with agility only seen when confronted with a laser pointer. He looks around, and then at me, as if to say: _Foolish slave, this isn't my castle! Where the devil are we?_

I don't know why I imagine Zombie to talk like Max does, but I digress myself.

"Come here, Bee." I chuckle, using my nickname for him. I pick him up, which is a much greater struggle as I'm still pretty weak from what the doctor says is atrophy. After the struggle Zombie ends up on my lap, his second favorite place. He quickly settles and I sigh peacefully, planning on getting some shuteye on the thirteen hour ride to Sydney, Australia.

I'm just about to drift off when there's a sharp tapping on my arm. "Sir." A stern voice says, and I glance up at the stewardess.

"What?" I ask, if nothing is wrong. Zombie gives a look at the stewardess, and it's plain enough what it means: _Pitiful human, if you remove me from my slave's lap I assure you when my kind take over this wretched rock you and all your loved ones will NOT be spared. _

"You are not allowed to take a pet out of his carrier. It is strictly not allowed." The girl explains.

I sigh. "Fine." I'm about to pick Zombie up and put him in his crate when he looks at me with the most pitiful stare and lets out a tiny little whimper of a mew. My heart melts. I groan inwardly. I'm a cancer patient now, I might as well use the benefits it gives.

I quiver my bottom lip as I look up at the stewardess with what I can only hope are big doe eyes. "B-but, I only have a little left to live, and I want to spend as much time with my kitty as possible." I say, my voice fake-trembling. For emphasis, I scoop Zombie up and hug him close to my face, him choosing to respond with a mildly irritated hiss.

The face and voice of the stewardess soften. "Oh…" She says. "So you're the Make-A-Wish customer? Well…" She hesitates. "I…guess I can make an exception…but if anyone else comes over, don't tell them I said it was acceptable, okay?"

I grin and hug Zombie closer. "Thanks!"

She smiles at me, with a pity I know I'll grow to hate, and walks off. I set Zombie back down on my lap. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" I ask him

He hits me in the face with his paw.

"Psh, talk about ungrateful." I mutter, rubbing my cheek. He turns away from me and curls up, ears flat.

Within minutes I'm asleep again, and it's only when we land in Australia that I wake again. Zombie is fortunately still on my lap and hasn't wandered off, and I thank my lucky stars for his laziness as I ungracefully stuff him back in his cage.

I don't have a working phone after eight months of sleep, and even so I don't know Jasmine's number, so it'll be a total surprise when I show up. Hopefully a good surprise.

I call a taxi from the airport and give him the address which I have memorized. He tsks.

"You sure you got enough for that, mate?" He asks. "That's out of the main city. Cost you a couple hundred dollars." **[1]**

"I have enough." I tell him. I had the foresight to exchange $100,000 Canadian dollars for Australian dollars, which gave me about 102,600 Australian dollars, so thats cool.

The drive takes about two hours, and its dusk before I finally arrive. I observe the house I arrive at. It's a cute little two story cottage, on a big property. It was totally the house I imagined Jasmine living. My stomach butterflies again as I drag my suitcase and carry my cat crate over to the door. I steel myself and take a deep breath. I knock.

The door opens…

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed!<strong>


	3. Day One

**Hey all! Time for an update! I'm glad everyone is loving this so much!**

**Please read and review :)!**

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><p>The door opens…<p>

An elderly black woman greets me. "Hello." She says kindly, though her accent is much more prominent then Jasmine's. "Can I help you?"

"Uh…yeah." I tell her. My stomach twists into knots. "Is, uh, Jasmine home?"

"No…she's out with her father." She tells me. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Well, uh, you see…" I start to explain, but the look of realization and ange, on her face makes me shut my mouth. This isn't good.

"You're that boy from Total Drama. Jasmine's _boyfriend._" She spits the word 'boyfriend' with enough poison to cure the zombie virus.

"Uh, yeah, about that I…" I try to respond.

She slams the door in my face.

Well, that was peachy.

I sigh, sitting down on the step outside her front door. I guess I'll just wait until she gets home.

My mind starts to wander. If Jasmine's _mother _is that upset, what is _Jasmine _going to be like. Oh god. I rub my head with my hands. What if this was a huge mistake?

Zombie lets out a meow from his cat crate. The tone of his meow suggests that I'm a moron and shouldn't be worried…but mostly that I'm a moron.

"I guess." I tell him, sighing. "Still though, I just hope that she'll find it in herself to forgive me." Something then hits me in the gut. Do I _tell _her about Gertrude?

…

Who is Gertrude? Oh, that's the name I gave my tumor. Gertrude sounds like a person who sucks the lifeout of you, so I thought the name was fitting. I mean seriously, who names their child Gertrude? Yuck.

Anyways, what the hell am I going to tell Jasmine? If I tell her about Gertrude, then she'll probably forgive me no problems, but then she'll be aware of it throughout our visit and it would get awful at the end. Or I could make up some other excuse and not tell her and we'd be normal throughout the visit…that's counting if she would forgive me though.

But then what happens if I don't tell her, we make-up, and then I have to tell her at the end, and wrench it all away from her? Gah! This is torture…

"Hello there." A deep, VERY non-Australian voice booms at me. "You're Shawn, huh? Finally decided to show up. You've caused my daughter a fair share of heartbreak."

I jump and look up to see a VERY giant man standing above me. He has to be at least 6'9. I assume him to be Jasmine's father. My mind panics and I quickly look around, but his deep booming voice assures me. "Don't worry, Jasmine's still a half-hour off. There's still time to adequately prepare yourself."

I glance back up at him. He's as dark-skinned as Jasmine. "I know…I just…got busy." I gulp lamely.

"Hmmm…yes. Well Reyna and Jasmine will be a little harder to convince. I understand if you got buyt with the fans and the money after you won, but really son, eight months? That's a little insulting."

I look into his eyes and a split second decision makes me tell him. "Well…the thing is. I've been in a coma for eight months. I…I have brain cancer."

He's silent for a moment.

"Oh." He finally says. "Well…I guess that explains it then. I'm sorry, son."

"It's okay." I breath, though my heart is racing. "Just…don't tell Jasmine, or…Reyna? Is that Jasmine's mom?"

"My wife, yes. I'm Jason." He says, though his voice is a little glum. It's probably form the news I just told him.

"Why, uh, shouldn't I tell Jaz or Reyna?" He asks.

"Well, you see, I've only got thirty days until the operation, and I don't want that over Jasmine's head while I'm here…if she even sees me." I finish somewhat lamely.

Jason pats me on the back. "Well, I wish you the best of luck…I'll do what I can to defend you, I guess. What excuse are you going to use?"

"That my Uncle Not-Bernie died…though for all I know it could be true, I haven't seen him in years."

He looks at me. "Uncle Not-Bernie?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a long story." I admit. "Maybe some other time."

"Hmmm, yes, perhaps." Jason nods. "Well, enough of standing around in this blistering heat." I suddenly realize how much I'm sweating. "Why don't you take your bags and your cat and come on in."

I smile gratefully. "That would be awesome, thanks."

He gets up, grabbing one of my bags, and attempts to open the door. Its locked. "Reyna." He sighs. "Come on now, let me in."

We hear her voice from the other side of the door. "Oh, sorry Jason, the damnedest thing happened though, that scum sucker Shawn showed up today and-" She opened the door, and saw me there with Jason. She scowled. "Jason! What is he still doing here?"

"Relax." He chuckled. "Shawn's uncle died, and was one of his few remaining relatives, so he got caught up in that, that's what took him so long to get down here."

"I admit I could've done it sooner, I was just distracted." The lie comes easier then it should, but I've had a lot of practice, growing up in an orphanage.

Reyna still eyes me with a sharp look. "Hmm, well, good luck telling that to Jasmine. You might as well come in, though." She opens the door and I'm greeted with sweet, sweet cool air.

"Oh yeah, that's nice." I can't help but grin as the temperature cools my body.

"Hmm, well, would you like a glass of water?" She asks me, her tone still sounds untrusting, which kind of bums me out.

"That would be great, thank you." I smile politely.

She goes over to the sink and fills a glass for me.

"Good luck getting your cat to get along with Whiskers." Jason tells me, a twinkle in his eye."

Reyna scoffs. "Well, they won't get a chance told interact. Shawn will have his little discussion with Jaz and then be on his way. There are plenty of motels in the area, a hotel too."

I fidget. "Well, I have mon-"

Jason shoots me a glance, and I change my sentence. "Minimum funds…but I'm sure I'll manage." I shoot Jason a look of my own. "Don't worry about me."

Suddenly, the front door opens, and my heart stops. It must be obvious my dread, as Reyna gives a dry chuckle and Jason whispers 'Good luck.'

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" A voice calls, and my heart aches at hearing that sweet voice that I haven't heard in far too long.

"Jaz, you have a visitor." Jasmine's dad calls.

"Oh? It better not be that Sydney chick, I swear to God if she comments about my height one more time I'll-" She walked into the room, and, upon seeing me, stops short.

It's only a brief second before she speaks, but I use it to drink her all in. Her hair is a couple inches longer, and her clothes are different, but other then that she's exactly the same. I smile at her.

"Sh-Shawn?" She splutters. "What on Earth are you doing here?" Her fists have curled up, which is not a very good sign.

"Uh, hey Jasmine. I, uh, just making good on my promise, here I am!" I smile, though it turns into a grimace. That was probably not such a good choice of words.

"Oh yeah," Her voice is still casual, and I look towards her parents hopefully. Their averted eyes and nervous movements do little to console me. "Yeah you fulfilled it…after EIGHT MONTHS!" She yells the last two words, making me jump and Zombie hiss.

"Well, yeah, but the thing is-" I start, but she steamrolls over me.

"I WAS SO EXCITED!" She yells. "THAT YOU WERE COMING TO VISIT! IT TOOK _TWO MONTHS _FOR ME TO GIVE HOPE, THAT'S HOW OPTIMISTIC I WAS." Tears dust her eyes. "Well I'm glad you finally have time for me." She says bitterly, her voice back to its normal volume. "Too busy building your zombie bunker?"

My heart aches. "No, see, my uncle died. Not-Bernie." I tell her. "I was just busy and distracted…Jasmine I'm so sorry, please forgive me." I plead.

She looks at me, the anger still there. She did always have a tough time forgiving people. I stoop into my suitcase and rummage around, coming up with a brown paper bag. "Here's the money…" I mumble, offering it to her.

She stalks over to me and snatches the bag. Now some of the anger is gone. "Well, at least you kept one promise." She spat.

"Shawn, you really don't have to." Jason says.

"No, I made a promise." I tell him. "It's okay. Look, Jasmine, I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Things just got..complicated in my life."

Jasmine sighs, leaning against the counter. I have to tear my eyes away from her as to not appear creepy. "Look, Shawn…I'm too tired for this. Can we do this tomorrow?"

I instantly get up. "Sure, yeah, totally, of course." I pick up my stuff. "Where was that hotel?" I ask Jasmine's mom.

"It's a ways, I'll drive you." Jason says. "You won't have much luck catching a taxi here."

"Cool, thanks." I say. I walk towards the hallway. "Bye Jasmine." I offer.

She doesn't respond.

Gulping, I follow Jason outside and walk over to his pickup truck, which Jasmine must've arrived in, as it wasn't there when I got here.

"Take me to the hotel, please."

Jason chuckles. "Mr. Moneybags, eh? Very well, that's closer, it's only about a fifteen minute drive."

"You don't have to drive me, I can walk." I offer. I don't want to inconvenience him. "It's really not a big deal."

"Nah, don't worry about it." He smiles. "Y'know, Jaz must've been pretty happy to see you, because I was expecting a lot worse."

My heart lifts. "You think?"

"Oh, sure. I removed all the precious china from the kitchen just incase she started throwing things."

We chuckle at that for a bit, then I ask him, "Has she always had a temper?"

"Oh, you bet she has." He laughs. "She gets it from her mother."

"I did get a taste of that when I first got here." I admit, and he laughs some more.

* * *

><p>Before we know it we arrive to the hotel. "I assume I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Shawn?" He asks as I exit the car.<p>

"Count on it." I agree. "I'll probably get there tomorrow right after lunch.

"Come for lunch."

"I dunno…"

"Come for lunch."

"Okay, fine." I sigh. "Anyways, thanks Jason, I appreciate the ride."

"G'night, Shawn." He closes the door and drives off.

I wander into the hotel lobby. An older woman at the lobby gives me a critical glance. Her grey bob cut almost moves as she gives a sniff.

"Hi." I smile. "One room please."

"Do you have money?" She asks me. Gee, real nice. I try not to roll my eyes as I nod. "What kind?" She asks another question.

"What kind of what?" I'm puzzled.

"Of room. We have standard, advanced and V.I.P."

"Uh, how much is it for the advanced?"

"Without a reservation, it's 400 dollars."

"Done." I smile, reaching into my wallet. It's nice to have it heavy for once. U pull out four crisp bills and hand them to her. After checking the money for authenticity and counterfeit, which aggravates me, she nods and rings the little bell. A young guy about my age comes out of the room behind the old hag.

"Dude, I'll take your bag." He tells me, and I hand him my bag and cat crate.

"We don't allow pets." The hag tells me. "You'll have to keep him down here."

I sigh, now irritated, but a thought strikes me. I'm rich now! I dig for my wallet and pull out a fifty. "But I don't have a cat." I say smoothly, though I think I'm failing at it. I slide the bill across the counter.

She eyes the fifty dollar bill. "I see. Enjoy your stay."

"Dude, there are no cats allowed here." The bellhop tells me, obviously trying to get some money.

"Shut up, Jacob!" The old woman snaps, making me snort with laughter.

"Sorry grandma." He mutters.

He follows me towards the elevator. We stop at the fourth floor.

"Enjoy your stay, sir." He tells me, holding his hand out for a tip. Smirking, I high-five it, causing him to sigh.

"Kidding, dude, here you go." I pull out another fifty and give it to him.

His face lights up. "Thanks dude!"

I nod and enter my room, and boy is it nice. It's got a big fluffy bed and a TV on the wall, a small bathroom and a little kitchenette. A menu lies on my bedside table. Shit, I'm hungry. I call room service, ordering eggs and bacon. Guess I'm in a breakfast-y mood. It's delicious, and I lay on my bed watching re-runs of Pahkitew Island with Zombie for the next two hours.

"Oh man, that hit the spot." I grin, cuddling up with Zombie, who purrs loudly. "I better get ready for bed." I yawn, trudging to the bathroom. I brush my teeth and get into my pajamas. Turning off the lights, I slip between the sheets and oh boy is it comfy. Zombie lays on top of me, instantly turning it into a furnace from hell.

I sigh, comfortable at last my mind filled with thoughts of Jasmine as I drift into unconsciousness. One thing is for sure amidst my unpredictable life.

Tomorrow should be interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I hope everyone enjoyed it! How do you guys like Jasmine? Is she good? Please review :)!<strong>


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